Vendetta
by rosehill
Summary: The Defenders have to face a new enemy. Set after “Family Reunion”. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Synopsis: the Defenders have to face a new enemy. Set after "Family Reunion".

Disclaimer: the animated show "Defenders of the Earth" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me.

_Vendetta_

In Ice Station Earth, Ming the Merciless was looking at the young person who had just entered the room. "Who are you and what do you want?" he asked contemptuously.

"I think you know who I am", the other one answered. "And I want what my father tried to get."

"And why would I help you to get that?" he asked.

"I can make anything for you in exchange."

Ming laughed sardonically. "I want you to enter Monitor and to destroy Dynak-X. I'll give you something in exchange but you won't be able to keep it for more than eight hours."

The other one nodded and followed the ice robots into another room. Next minute, a wild shout was heard throughout the building.

Ming smiled. Someone was going to do the dirty work for him.

Ooo0ooo0oo

Jedda Walker was getting bored. She was starting to realize that following the boys for a video games day was not fun, after all. What was the point of fighting enemies on a screen when you did it for real every week? "I'm going back home" she said to Rick discreetly.

He didn't even look at her. "Wait! Nearly finished the third level! What were you saying?"

The girl sighed and looked around. Kshinn and L.J. were both in a strange zombie mode, staring at their screens with wide eyes. She was definitely not going to have a serious conversation with them today. She was about to leave when a skinny, shy-looking boy in his early teens stopped in front of her. "Jedda Walker?"

"It's me."

"_I… I need to talk to you_."

The Phantom's daughter realized he was talking in Bandar language, not in English. But only the Bandar, the Phantom and his family could speak this language, and she didn't know the boy. Moreover, he was a Caucasian. This was most surprising. "What's the problem?" she asked in English.

"_Please. Only five minutes. You don't mind_?"

Puzzled, Jedda followed the boy. They bought drinks and had a seat. "It's complicated" the boy stuttered, blushing. "I don't know how to tell you, but…"

"Just tell" she suggested, moved by his cute behaviour.

"I'm your cousin."

Jedda wondered if she had heard well. The boy took two photos in his pocket. On one of them, the girl could see her grandfather, the 26th Phantom, with his two teenage sons, and on the other one, there was a grown-up Kurt Walker with a new-born baby in his arms. The boy blushed again and carried on.

"Maybe you don't know but your father has a big brother, Kurt. And he's my dad. It's him who gave me these photos some time ago. He's been missing for weeks and my mom and I are getting worried. Maybe you could… I don't know… You know the Defenders, maybe they could help me looking for him?"

Jedda took the boy's hand. She had never felt so sorry and so embarrassed. How could she tell this innocent little boy that her dad was in fact an evil man and that he was dead, killed by his own greediness? "What's your name?" she asked.

"Kurt, like my dad."

"Kurt, I'm sorry. You'll have to be very brave. I…"

She looked away. Kurt tugged on her hand. "Miss Walker? What happened? Just tell me the truth, I need it! Is my dad…"

Jedda remembered the day her father went missing, apparently dead, and how she had felt. This poor boy was really going to need some help. "Please call me Jedda. I'm sorry, Kurt. Your father is dead."

The boy looked at her incredulously, got up and took his jacket. "Thank you for being so honest" he stuttered. "I need to be alone for a moment."

"Is there something I can do?"

"Yes." He scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Come to this place this afternoon. This is where I live with my mom. I'd like you to come and tell us what happened. Can you do that?"

"Of course!" She got up and kissed her cousin on both cheeks. He looked utterly bewildered and forced himself to smile.

"Thanks. Please, come alone. Not even with your father, I'm not sure he… Well, come, I need you." And he left. Jedda stared at him for a moment.

Ooo0ooo0oo

Ten minutes later, the four young Defenders had lunch at a refreshment room. It happened that Rick had spotted Jedda and Kurt talking, and he didn't really like it. "Are you going to tell me who that boy is?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

Jedda shrugged. Rick had been doing nothing but playing video games for hours, paying no attention to her, there was no reason for her to tell him anything about what had just happened. "Someone", she said.

"He's younger than you."

"Young for what? Can't I have a talk with someone without you becoming jealous?"

"Me, jealous?"

Kshinn and L.J. exchanged a look. It was not the first time these two ones were bickering: Rick was jealous and Jedda was enjoying it more than a little and then Rick was pretending to look at someone else and Jedda was getting jealous in turn and pretended not to notice anything and so on… It was cute for one minute but then it was getting really annoying. "I'm going back to _Final Destruction 5"_ the youngest one said, putting away his half-eaten sandwich and getting up.

"I'll check he's not doing anything stupid" Lothar's son announced in turn.

"So! I'll try that game, too" Jedda said.

Rick grabbed her wrist. "What are you saying? You hate video games!"

"Oh, now you remember it?"

They both felt hurt. Rick had the feeling Jedda had talked to that kid to hurt him, and he didn't want to show how uneasy it made him feel. Jedda knew she was acting like a pampered princess, playing with his friend's feelings, and she felt guilty about it. She was about to suggest him to leave the place and have a walk together, just the two of them, and reconcile but she remembered the promise she had made to poor Kurt. "Let's meet here in three hours" she suggested. "I have something to do."

Rick tried to protest but Jedda didn't leave him time. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and ran out of the building. Rick hesitated between running after her and staying where he was. Perhaps he was indeed jealous for no reason, after all.

Somewhere else in the world, Ming the Merciless started laughing sardonically.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

New chapter. Jedda goes and search for Kurt.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Defenders of the Earth" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me.

_Vendetta_

Jedda was standing in front of an old deserted building. Apparently, her cousin and his mother were far from being rich. According to the names on the bells, no Walker was living here but Kurt's mother may have kept her maiden's name. So what was she going to do?

"_Cousin? I'm glad you came!"_

The girl turned, saw the boy and smiled. _"Of course, I came. Where are you living?"_

"_Come. I'm going to show you."_

Jedda followed Kurt to the entrance of a cellar. She was beginning to feel suspicious. _"This is your home?"_

The boy never answered. One second later, the Phantom's daughter was lying on the floor, knocked out.

Ooo0ooo0oo

When she regained consciousness, she was lying on a cold surface with her hands and her feet tied and her head aching. Looking around, she realized she was in a big dark room with no windows. An athletic blond girl in her late teens was sitting on a mattress a few feet away. She came closer when she saw her awake.

"_There's no need to shout or cry or call for help_" she said in Bandar. "_Nobody would hear_ _you_."

Like her father, Jedda could remain perfectly calm in all situations. She didn't know where she was and this girl was apparently crazy but if she showed any sign of panic, it would turn to the other girl's advantage so better acting as if she was the one in control. "_Who are you_?" she asked.

"_I told you: I'm your cousin_." The girl's body suddenly changed shape and turned into little Kurt's, then it took several other people's appearance before turning back into the blond girl's. "_Don't be surprised. This shape-shifting thing is a little gift of an enemy of yours_."

"Ming?" Jedda asked instinctively. The girl nodded. "_Don't ever trust Ming the Merciless. This is probably a poisoned gift he made to you_!"

"_I_ _know he's not trustworthy but the end justifies the means_."

"The end?"

"Let me introduce myself" the girl said while sitting next to her. "My name's Kana Walker. I was born in a place I prefer not to mention in front of you, just in case. My mother's gone long ago and my father practically raised me alone. When I was little, he used to tell me sweet tales about two little boys who lived in the jungle. The children deeply loved each other until the day the younger one betrayed the other, who was exiled, apparently forever. Does this ring a bell to you?"

It did. Jedda's father had told her how his brother had betrayed him, nearly killed him and then run away from Bengala. She wondered what that girl had exactly heard from her own father. "Kana…" she whispered. "That's Bandar for vengeance, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Kana said. "This name was the first gift my father gave to me. He taught me everything he knew. I'm as much as a jungle princess as you are, except that I was raised in the urban jungle. I guess my life was a bit weird but as long as I had my father, nothing really mattered. I loved him, do you imagine? He was everything for me.

I wanted him to be happy, just happy. Sometimes I managed to make him smile or even laugh, but with the passing of the years it became more and more difficult. One day I realised the cute little tales he used to tell me weren't tales at all. There was someone on Earth who had made my father unhappy and who was still carrying on. And I knew who that person was.

First I told my father to forgive yours. He was his past, I was his present, and I didn't want him to carry on brooding and regretting and feeling sad and hopeless. But he just didn't want to listen to me. He told me he couldn't feel ok until the Phantom was dead. Three months ago he disappeared and left me a note to tell me that if he wasn't coming back in three days, he would be dead and I would have to kill the Phantom myself. And he never came back. I guess I have to finish his job."

Jedda could hardly believe what she was hearing. "So… that's what you want to do? Killing someone because your father told you to? That's crazy!"

"That's love. Anyway, when it comes to filial obedience, I think there's no one to touch you. You'll become the Phantom after him even though you're a girl, aren't you? Well, I'm sorry this is going to come so early."

Jedda tried to gain time. "What do you know about my father or me?"

"I know a lot about you. You never left your jungle before you were sixteen and a half, what a shame. You grew up with no mother. You're afraid of the cold. You have a big Electra complex. And there are things you can't resist, like little boys with puppy eyes asking for help, you naïve girl…"

Jedda cursed her own stupidity. She hadn't even told anybody where she was going! She braced herself when the blond girl got up, went to a cupboard and came back with a bottle. "Don't be afraid", she said. It's water. You must be thirsty. See." And she poured herself a glass and drank. "Would you like some?"

Jedda frowned. "You intend to kill my father and you offer me a drink?"

"It's the Phantom I hate, not you."

"I'll be the Phantom one day, so you may as well hate me too."

"Pity. Are you sure you don't want to drink?"

"Sure."

"Well, I'll be away for a moment so I'll leave you the bottle. You can also use the bathroom, the radio, eat whatever you want…"

"And how am I going to do this with my hands tied?"

"Good point." Kana loosened the ties around Jedda's wrists. "You'll be able to get free of these ties in about ten minutes. I'll lock you in before I go and kill the Phantom but I'll make someone come to free you. Have a good day."

"They will never let you enter Monitor!"

"Are you sure?" The girl's blond hair turned black, her features and her outfit changed and suddenly, she looked exactly like Jedda. She bent down and patted her head. "Relax, cousin. Enjoy your stay. You cannot do anything else, anyway."

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

Synopsis: Dynak-X is threatened to be destroyed.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Defenders of the Earth" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me.

_Vendetta_

Kana took the appearance of an old lady to travel to Monitor, and then she took Jedda's appearance again. So this was the volcano where the Defenders of the Earth used to live… Impressive. Now she just had to enter.

The manor was definitely not her first choice. There was probably another entrance. She followed the nearly invisible tracks of a vehicle and found an entrance on one side of the volcano.

Monitor was apparently deserted. She remembered everything her father had taught her, how to find a track and follow it, how to remain unnoticed, and she had a sudden surge of affection. She missed him so much! Why did he have to be dead? She wouldn't rest until she had killed his murderer.

She found Dynak-X easily. Ming had told her about this human-like computer and she was supposed to destroy it. "Everything all right?" she asked casually.

"Low level of criminal activity", Dynak answered. "Flash, Mandrake and Lothar are still on a mission on Mars."

So the Phantom was probably in Monitor! Her heart jumped but she tried to remain calm and composed. "When will they be back?" she asked.

"Two days at the latest but you know that."

It was the kind of comment a human would do spontaneously for Dynak-X had been human once. Shortly after Flash's wife had died in the hands of Ming the Merciless, her spirit had been transferred into a computer. The Defenders had gotten used to this weird situation, even though Flash and Rick still found it a bit disturbing sometimes. However, Kana couldn't help feeling slightly shocked. She was going to destroy this computer, yes. It was the price for killing her father's enemy. But she wished it was only a plain machine.

She had a miniature bomb in a pocket. She moved around and attached it to a side of the machine, hoping nobody would be around when it explodes. Then looked around and decided to search for…

"Jedda?"

She froze. This voice… It could only be HIM! She turned back and found herself facing the man her father wanted to kill more than anything else. Hatred and anger filled her but she forced herself to look calm. This was not the time yet for finishing that matter. "Yes?" she managed to say.

"_Are you all right_?"

Kana realised he was speaking Bandar and it made her even more angry. It was the language Kurt and her always used when they were together. Nobody else had the right to use it! "Yes. Why are you asking?" she asked.

"Because it's not obvious. Were you not with the boys in town?"

There was concern in his voice and Kana tried to ignore it. She had imagined the Phantom betraying her father and murdering him and those ideas were haunting her night and day but she just never pictured him caring for his daughter. Could it be possible?

"I'd like to tell you something in private", she said with a nearly trembling voice.

The Phantom frowned. Something was not normal with his daughter but he couldn't tell what exactly. He nodded and her hand clutched the gun she was hiding.

Ooo0ooo0oo

After about ten minutes playing video games with a friend from school, Kshinn decided to carry on playing at his friend's home. L.J. got tired of games, got up and noticed how uneasy Rick looked. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

"Me?" He glanced at his watch. "Perfectly okay. Why?"

"Nothing. Tell me when you girlfriend comes back so I won't have to be a third wheel."

Rick couldn't help smiling. His best friend's humor was a great help sometimes. "Do you think she's interested in that guy?" he asked.

"I think she's trying to make you jealous and you fall for it, even Zuffi can see it! Come on, Rick, let's play _Final Races_ again. You cannot worry about that girl all the time."

"I'm not worried about her because she's a girl. We're a team, we work together, so we're supposed to make sure all of us are safe, aren't we?"

Lothar's son sighed. This was really a lame explanation. "I'll call her" he said, taking his communicator in his pocket. Then he frowned. "She shut it down, apparently."

"Are you sure?" Communicators were supposed to be never shut down, except at school. This was surprising. "Let me try."

After a few tries, the boys exchanged a worried look. "I guess it's that kid who kidnapped her" said Rick. "We have to find him!"

L.J. was about to retort that the boy Jedda had been chatting with looked really harmless but then he remembered how Prince Kro-Tan had managed to trick them all and kidnap Jedda once. Maybe this was happening again. "Well, if you want to find them, we'll probably need this", he said, handing his friend a piece of paper.

"What is this?"

"The address the boy gave her. It fell from her pocket but she probably memorized it."

"And you weren't telling me?"

"You weren't asking."

Ooo0ooo0oo

It took Jedda only a few minutes to get rid of her ties but then she found that she was really trapped. The door was thick, she couldn't break it open, and the lock was not the kind you can pick with a hairpin. There were no windows, even in the tiny bathroom, and the ventilation shaft was too narrow for a human being. Moreover, Kana had taken away her communicator and her gun. She shouted and called for help with no success, growing more and more worried at the idea that someone was about to kill her father while she couldn't do anything.

Finally, she lied on her back on the mattress and tried to think about. This was completely crazy. How was she going to escape before it was too late? How could she warn the Defenders about the girl? And what was an "Electra complex", by the way? Then Jedda smelt something familiar and stretched an arm out to grab a cushion that rested a foot away. A dog had obviously slept on it.

It gave her an idea: if the dog was still around, maybe she could use her telepathic powers to make him help her. She went to the door and concentrated. It was about as easy as trying to find a particular object in the dark: her mind met ants, flies and sparrows but there was no dog. The girl had probably lost him or gotten rid of him long ago.

What it she tried to burn the door? No, the smoke would suffocate her. The only option was attracting all the birds around to the door and hoping someone would notice them.

Minutes passed. She got more and more nervous and inspected the room, looking for something that could help her escape. She found a notebook that had apparently belonged to Kurt Walker. It contained notes and figures about some "business". Jedda wondered if it referred to something honest or if her uncle had been living on illegal stuff.

There was also a picture of Kurt hugging his daughter. Jedda stared at it for a moment and then put it aside. Kurt had been an evil man, OK. He had tried to kill his own brother several times and had also emotionally blackmailed her into renouncing to her heritage. But he obviously cared for his daughter, who had possibly never seen his dark side. Jedda wished Kana were simply evil so she could get rid of her without thinking about too much. And she wished she could just leave the place and help her father.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

Synopsis: The Phantom is about to be killed.

Disclaimer: the animated show "Defenders of the Earth" doesn't belong to me. I'm not making any money with this fic so please, don't sue me.

_Vendetta_

Suddenly, Kit Walker realised what was going wrong. "You're not my daughter", he said. He couldn't tell why he was sure of it; he just knew it.

The girl put a wry face before forcing herself to laugh and taking her real appearance. "You're right", she said, aiming her gun at him. "Now there are things I need to know."

She looked so much like her father that the Phantom immediately guessed who she was. He could hardly believe his eyes. It had never occurred to him that Kurt could have descendents or that his children could carry a grudge against him. But Kurt's daughter was standing in front of him and she apparently intended to kill him. He was alone. And attacking a teenage girl was definitely not the option that appealed the most to him.

"You're my brother's daughter."

It was not a question. Kana's eyes went narrower. "How dare you calling him your brother after what you did to him?" she hissed. He tried to step back and she aimed at his head. "Stay here!"

"Whatever you think I did to your father, it won't get better by shooting me."

"Oh, this is so very preachy…"

"What do you want from me exactly?" he asked.

She gestured him to the door and followed him into a corridor, then to the cave under the volcano where the Walker had their home, where she thought her escape would be easy. "I want to know what happened to my father, if he's still alive, and if not, what killed him", she finally said. "Don't alter anything: I know when someone's lying to me."

The Phantom complied and Kana listened while refraining herself from looking at her watch. Ming the Merciless had told her the shape-shifting abilities would last exactly eight hours, and she just had one hour left. She was hardly surprised when she heard how disloyally her father had acted towards his own brother and niece. She knew he was flawed, like everyone. She knew he had gone less and less sane with time passing, and she didn't want to excuse him for whatever he had done. She just loved him the way he was. It occurred to her that she was about to do something completely wrong but she dismissed that thought. She was going to kill and to run away, so her father would be proud of her.

Then the Phantom heard a familiar voice in his head. He didn't flinch. Having a telepathic child could lead to strange situations, especially when the only humans she could communicate telepathically with were blood relatives or other telepaths like Mandrake.

"_Father, you're in danger now. Someone's going to try to kill you_."

"_I know_" he thought. "_Where are you_?"

"_With Rick and L.J., in the manor_."

"_Go directly to the cave and don't tell the boys_."

In the manor, Jedda nodded. "We split up" she said aloud. "I think you guys should go and check if Dynak is OK. I'll check the other rooms." And she practically ran to the cave. She forced herself to calm down when she heard her father's whispering voice. Silently, she entered the room. Kana had her back to her. She was about to disarm her when Kana talked.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, cousin."

"_I_ wouldn't do that if I were you. Do you really want to spend the last of your life in prison?" Jedda asked. "Is that what Kurt would want?"

"Don't you dare talking about him!" Kana shouted, turning around and aiming at Jedda. She walked to her. The Phantom's daughter knew her cousin didn't want to kill her. If she could have her full attention for a minute, she would allow her father to escape. She thought: "_Go away now, Father! She won't harm me_."

"_She's not sane. I don't want you to take that risk_", the Phantom thought.

"Kana, you're alone and we are two" Jedda stated. "The boys may come here at any time. Don't be stupid."

Kurt's daughter felt helpless. Yes, she was alone. And this girl still had her father, unlike her. It was so unfair! A tear ran down her face but Jedda pretended she didn't see her crying. "Listen, Kana. One hour ago, you could have killed me but you didn't. Why?"

"This is called fair play", Kana said.

"If you understand fair play, then you're a better person than your father was", the Phantom said. "Don't become like him."

"Shut up!" the blond girl said, aiming her gun at him. "I want you dead!"

"But I don't!" Jedda said. "There must be a way to settle this matter. Let me see. What about a race between you and me?"

Kana remained silent for a moment, apparently lost in thought. "Well" she finally said, lowering her weapon. "This seems fair. If I win, you let me kill the Phantom."

"If I win, you leave this place and we never hear of you again."

The girls solemnly shake hands. A few minutes later, they were getting ready for the race.

Ooo0ooo0oo

Twenty years before, Kurt Walker and Kit Walker had been fighting for the honor of becoming the Phantom one day. Now history was repeating itself. Their daughters were standing side by side at the foot of the volcano. The first to reach the crater would win.

Rick and L.J. had been told to watch them with binoculars and to check that none of them would cheat. They didn't know what the real stakes were; they just knew something wrong was going on. Rick had suggested reporting the race to another day but the Walker had all refused. The sooner this would be finished, the better.

The Phantom didn't want to say or show it but he felt quite helpless. He didn't like the idea of having his life depending on his daughter. If she lost the race, he could still run away and hide but he didn't even want to think of that idea. So he would probably have to fight an eighteen-years-old girl and possibly to kill her. His ancestors would be so ashamed of him.

His daughter walked to him. "Don't worry" she whispered at his ear. "I'll win."

"What if something goes wrong?"

"We'll see in time." She kissed him on the cheek. Kana glanced at them, deeply envious and trying not to think that soon, this girl she didn't hate was going to become an orphan, just like her. How would Kurt react if he could see her? She thought he would be proud. And he would want her to cheat, of course. Was she going to?

The starting signal was given and the girls rushed forward. At first, it seemed that Kana was the faster: she was leading by a few meters. But after about ten minutes, she started to lose ground and Jedda understood why immediately. It was the middle of the summer and Kana was not used to run or climb under a blazing sun. Moreover, she couldn't save her strengths while her Africa-born cousin was quite enjoying the heat. After another dozen minutes, they were neck and neck. Jedda noticed how uneasy, sweaty and tired Kana looked. "We can stop this now" she said. "We don't have to fight…"

"Let's finish this!" Kana retorted. She checked her watch: in only twenty minutes, she would lose her shape shifting power. Unfortunately, she lost her grip. Jedda caught her wrist just in time and helped her onto a safer spot. Her cousin looked at her incredulously. "Why…" she asked.

"I told you: we don't have to fight."

Kana felt sick. She had hoped her cousin to be an evil, repulsive person so she could hate her easily and have no qualms about killing her father. She realised she didn't want to hurt her, but she had to because she had to kill the Phantom anyway. This was making things more difficult. What would Kurt say if he could see her? What would he do?

Well, that was easy. The Phantom had killed someone she cared for so she just had to kill someone the Phantom cared for. That would not be fair play but she had to do it, for the love of her father.

Ooo0ooo0oo

At the foot of the volcano, the Phantom noticed that someone unexpected was going on. The girls were sitting on a cornice, apparently talking. They seemed to have lost interest in the race. He lowered his binoculars.

Then he heard someone shouting in fear. Jedda had apparently lost balance and was lying three meters below. As to Kana, she had mysteriously disappeared. Rick rushed forward but the Phantom passed him. In little time, he was at her side.

She was breathing slowly. He bent down to call her name and didn't see Kana, who had turned into a fly and was flying just behind him. She thought of turning human again and killing him. But… no, she couldn't stand a chance against him. She would kill him anyway. Later. Maybe…

It occurred to her that she may have had murdered her innocent cousin. That was bad. No, that was good: now she was just like her beloved father. She flied away as fast as possible and no one saw her. Perhaps she didn't have to kill the Phantom, after all. Now he knew how it feels when you lose a loved one.

She found a safe place and turned back human for the last time. Her heart was pounding, her throat was dry and she felt like crying. But she knew what she had to do: running away. She would change her name, her identity, disappear somewhere and the Defenders of the Earth would not hear about her again, or at least not before some time. And perhaps she would find peace one day…

Ooo0ooo0oo

When Jedda opened her eyes, she was lying in the hospital room of Monitor. Rick was at her side. "I was so worried…" he said, seeing her awake.

"There was nothing to worry about" she said, moved. "I was fine."

"You were knocked out twice in the same day!"

She laughed. "I'm fine" she said, taking his hand. Just at that moment, the Phantom entered the room. Jedda took away her hand hurriedly, blushing slightly, and tried to sit down. "Father! Are you…"

"I'm all right, Jedda. Kana never finished the race: she disappeared just after attacking you."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I."

After a few seconds of silence, Lothar's son entered the room. "Found this on Dynak-X" he announced, holding a small artefact. "Is it something normal?"

Rick had a look at the little thing and frowned. "It's a miniature bomb. And it has Ming's logo on…" he didn't have time to finish his sentence: L.J. was running away. The others knew later he had thrown the bomb into a lake as soon as possible. Now they were still trying to understand what had happened.

"She's been working for Ming?" Jedda asked, puzzled.

"That would explain the shape-shifting abilities" the Phantom said.

"No, it doesn't make sense!" Rick protested. "She could have destroyed Dynak-X at once. Why didn't she do it?"

"That what Ming the Merciless would have done" Jedda said, thinking of the photos she had found. "She's not Ming, that's all."

"She tried to kill you!"

"Some people kill or do evil while being sure they do it for good reasons" the Phantom said thoughtfully. "They are the most difficult to deal with."

"And do you think we'll see her again, Father?" Jedda asked.

The Phantom didn't answer.

_The end_


End file.
